1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of fans and similar appliances having a guard or grill to prevent unintended access to certain working components of the appliance, and is more specifically directed to a grill retaining assembly for securely attaching or mounting a protective grill to a portable fan to prevent excessive vibration and accidental displacement of the grill during operation.
2. Description of Related Art
Portable fans utilize rotating blades to produce air movement. Typically, these fans include protective grills that permit substantially unimpeded air flow while preventing potentially injurious physical contact with the rotating fan blades. For ease of manufacturing, shipping and storage, protective grills are often discrete assemblies removably attachable to the fan unit.
While rotating fan blades can cause injury to persons coming into physical contact with the blades, access to the fan blades is desired for proper maintenance, cleaning and repair of the operating unit. Accordingly, protective grills have been employed in the industry to prevent accidental contact with the fan blades, while still allowing maintenance access. A reliable means for securely attaching the protective grill to the fan is necessary. The retaining means should be simple and economical to manufacture and simple to operate while at the same time meeting applicable safety regulations. The retaining means must also be constructed such that accidental access to the fan blades or access by children will not occur. It is also desirable that the protective grill be sufficiently secured to the fan so as to minimize noise and vibration of the grill during operation of the unit.